Capture the Flag
by fanoflost
Summary: Who knew that such a simple game could bring out the deepest competitive sides in the survivors? :: Rated for expressive language and situations in future chapters. Jate, Chlaire, and Shayid! Something for everyone...
1. Start Your Engines!

_A/N: Well, I was bored in camp, so I wrote this. Enjoy it's, as it'll only be 3-5 chapters long._

**Capture The Flag**  
_Summary:_ Who knew that such a simple game could bring out the deepest competitive sides in the survivors?  
Status: WiP

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

_Capture the Flag – Chapter 1_ – Start Your Engines

"Dude, we gotta do something." Hurley said, burying his face in his beefy hands, "It's too friggin' boring here."

"I know, man. I know. Bloody Island." Charlie sighed, wiping away a bead of sweat from his brow.

Hurley twirled the worn bandana around his fingers, wringing it out every so often. "I've got an idea." He quietly stated, grinning.

"Name it." Charlie insisted, "I'll do just about anything."

A while later, after Hurley had quickly explained some rules of the game, the British man looked stunned. "Capture the _what_?" He asked.

"Flag." Hurley answered quickly, "You know, that game I just tried to explain to you?" He joked.

Charlie laughed, "Summarize them up, then."

"You know, hide the flag, or in this case the bandana, then you hide yourself, then when the dude comes near, jump out and scream at them. It scares them completely shitless." He beamed.

The rock star looked amused, "You loons of Americans. That is the most shockingly stupidest game I've ever heard. …Let's try it."

Hurley crowed, "Go get the beach people! Tell them to come here!" He motioned around his cave.

(Space)

Almost an hour later, every single survivor (save the ones who died) was crammed inside the dingy hole in the rock.

"What the hell is going on here, fatso?" The Southern accent was unmistakable, along with the nickname.

"Dudes and ladies, calm down for a freakin' second, will you! Jeez, it's not like we have anything better to do." Hurley shouted across the chattering crowd.

"That could be debatable." A voice called out, but the people around him quieted the man. They all wanted to hear why they were here, thus they were interested in what Charlie and Hurley had to say.

"You all familiar with the game of Capture the Flag?" Hurley started, grinning from ear to ear.

(Space)

"I declare Jack the captain of the cave people," Hurley finished forty-five minutes later, "And Sawyer the captain of the beachers."

'This would be an interesting game,' most of the assembly thought at those words. But Jack and Sawyer just nodded, accepting their positions without any fuss.

"Remember, green, black, camoflouge, anything that blends in equals for a good and long game. Loud and bright is a recipe for a quick game." Charlie mentioned, his British accent as noticeable as ever.

"Can we boot out Sawyer?" Another cry came out from the crowd.

Hurley raised his eyebrows, and many heads turned to look for the source of the voice. "Why?" His own eyes were examining the throng of people too.

"Well, you said loud was bad…" Many people chuckled, and Sawyer's face tinged a bit. Finally recognizing the voice, he knew it was Kate's. Even Jack cracked a smile at the comment.

"You little…" Sawyer stormed over, and for a couple seconds the general public of the Island thought that he was going to hit the woman. But Sawyer being Sawyer, he just stopped inches from her face, "I declare you," he poked her abdomen, "the jail guard for our side."

"Awww, come on, Sawyer, I was just kidding around." Kate mumbled, slightly embarrassed that the fugitive of the clan would have to be the one to watch over the people who got caught.

"I ain't, Freckles." Sawyer's eyes held that mischievous glint.

"Come on you lot, break it up." Charlie became in between the two, "Cave people, stay here. Beach people, go with Sawyer. Remember what Hurley said, no peeking, no cheating, no becoming a traitor."

Steve snapped his fingers, swinging his right arm over to his left side, "You found out our master plan!" He smiled jokingly.

The cave people chortled, and started to force the beach-dwellers out. "Go on. Be gone with you!" Charlie pushed the last one out, and brushed off his hands as if he had just achieved the hardest goal in the world.

(Space)

Locke, Boone, and Hurley went off with a ball of string to go set the boundaries that would be required.

Charlie loaned out his only black Sharpie so people could draw the word "Cave" on their shirts. This was the only way that they could be separated from the other team. Then he joked around with Scott, "Hey, wanna join the PEN 15 club?"

Scott nodded, unaware of what the man would do next. The man grabbed his arm and scrawled out PEN15 on it with his marker.

Scott looked at it in horror, and tried to scrub it off. This only resulted in his arm turning bright red and hurting from the raw skin. "That is not cool!" He groaned when he found a shadow of the writing.

Charlie was beside himself in laughter, "Welcome to the club," he choked out, "Benefits not included."

Everyone had let down his or her guard for this game, not knowing how big of an issue it'd be in the coming days.

(Space)

Jack and the rest of the cave people had laughed at the crude boundaries Hurley had managed to put up. A measly worn piece of yawn wove it's way between the trees, and where it ended, you could see Locke's handwriting on notebook paper that was half-burnt from the fire, saying "Outer Limits," and Boone's writing beneath it, '(Not to be confused with the TV show)'. The three had returned to the group, laughing quietly to themselves.

Jack had tried to remember the instruction Hurley had given him as well as he could, "If they go near the flag, leave your posts and chase them away. If they come back, still untagged, then go after them again. But try not to be too obvious to let them know the flag is there. Let them sneak around for a while, then let the demons out." He gave them a half-smile.

"And if the bloody loon comes back with more, then for the love of God, band up with a couple of your teammates and take them down! Enemies don't matter in this game, not unless they're on the other team." Charlie added, excited.

Murmurs started up through the crowd, groups getting together, and ways to get on the other side sneakily.

In this small frenzy, no one noticed Jack and Charlie disappearing off to hide the flag.

"We should hide it in the trees. I mean, the only really good tree-climber is Kate, and she's the jail guard." Charlie stated, throwing his arms up towards the canopies of leaves and branches.

"Do you really think she'll be the guard the whole time?" Jack responded, "As soon as Sawyer lets her off the hook, she'll be up in them faster then you can say 'Island'."

"Island." Charlie countered under his breath, "Then where we gonna hide it?" He wondered aloud.

"…Found it." Jack paused in front of an old, forlorn looking tree stump, looking as if time had taken its toll on it. Taking the black handkerchief out his pocket, the doctor cautiously jammed it in the hollowed out middle, leaving only a tiny corner of the fabric hanging out.

"Hurley said part of it had to show." Charlie replied to this, motioning that he couldn't see any of it.

"Did he say how much?" Jack grinned a boyish grin, and Charlie smiled.

"Ooo, a loophole." He laughed, "Good one. But we should get back to those nutters before they start without us."

(Sapce)

As the duo reappeared at the entrance of the caves, they looked at the scraggly group of survivors dressed in greens and browns, and couldn't help but crack up. How many times would they see a huge assembly of human beings, ages ranging from seven to fifty, get a big kick out of play such a childish game? Not many, that they knew. And the kicker was that all these people took it as seriously as their jobs in real life. Jack and Charlie just shook their heads and entered the throng of people.

"You guys!" Jack yelled out, throwing his arms up in the air, "Quiet down!"

The persons quickly silenced, it was obvious that they were just as excited as they looked, and stared at the appointed leader.

"Follow us." Jack waved over his shoulder and started to make his way down the path. Stopping at the yarn line, he looked around, "Who can really belt it out?" The man asked everyone.

Charlie raised his hand, "I can." He answered.

Most the crowd just laughed, but Jack nodded and smiled, "Tell Sawyer to get down here."

"OY! SAWYER! GET YOUR BLOODY ASS DOWN HERE!" Charlie boomed out, his voice ricocheting off the tree trunks.

The crowd sat in stunned silence for a second, and then equaled the noise, even drowning out Charlie.

Before long, the sound of footsteps could be heard amid the shouts and screams.

"Whatcha up to, Jackass?" Sawyer asked, stopping right before the other side of the string.

"Ready to begin." Jack answered.

Sawyer's eyes narrowed, "You're going down, doc. You and then rest of them damn people at them caves of yours."

"That's what you say now," Jack replied, "By the time today is over, you'll be begging to know where the flag is."

"Damn Yankee. Ev'ryone knows that us southern folk never beg." He spat.

Jack took this comment very personally, being from Boston himself, and the smile faded, replaced by his glaring eyes. "We'll see about that." His voice dropped down to a dangerously low level.

"Boys, are we ever going to start? Or are we just going to have ourselves a staring contest?" Locke asked, his tone sounding as grandfatherly as ever.

Jack growled, "Start?"

Sawyer echoed back, "Start."

The game was on then.

-LOST-

_A/N: So, how do you like it? Who do you _think_ will win? Who do you _want_ to win?_

**Next on _Capture the Flag_**: Once the fight to find each other's flag begins, some unfair play is already found. People start to abuse each other, and the game becomes something more then just a simple thing to do.


	2. And They're Off!

_A/N: Enjoy. I'm getting this all done so I can concentrate on other things, so I'll probably be long done with this by the time you see it. :)_

Reviews To The Reviews That My Reviewers Left Me: (And No, I can't say I'll be answering all of them.)

**PinkPinker:** I honestly don't know who will win either. I'm still kind of lost on my opinion. But I'll have to make up my mind within the next couple days, because this fic is only gonna be like 4-5 chapters long. And actually, I lied. It's next chapter that people are going to be caught cheating. Or maybe the one after that. I dunno, it's still fresh in my head, and not down on paper yet. Yeah, I know, the whole Jate thing will be fun to watch. See, I'm at a dilemma, because if Kate and her team win, she has something to hold over Jack's head, and so does Sawyer, but most people want the cave people to win because all the good-looking men (well, most of them) are on that team. So, as you can see, I'm at a loss. And yes, the PEN15 club… you're deprived if you haven't at least heard of it. ;) God, all the boys do it at my school too… Bloody annoying.

**Whirlwind-2005:** The characters are on these teams as followed:  
_Beach: _Sawyer, Kate, Sayid, Shannon, Michael, Walt, Sun, and Jin.  
_Caves:_ Jack, Hurley, Charlie, Claire, Boone, Locke, Scott, and Steve.  
And Scott and Steve ARE NOT main characters, they're just fun to play around with. :) 

**_A/N TO EVERYONE: _**Do you guys want Claire to still be pregnant?

* * *

**Capture The Flag**  
_Summary:_ Who knew that such a simple game could bring out the deepest competitive sides in the survivors?  
Status: WiP

* * *

_Capture the Flag – Chapter 2 – _And They're Off!

As soon as the words were spoken, most of the survivors looked around, expecting something to happen. But, obviously, nothing did. A bird took flight, and the Island winds rustled a couple leaves, but that was mainly it.

"Come on," Sawyer mumbled, and him and his team went off amid the tree trunks and shrubs. Only a few select people stayed behind, and that was only because the line needed to be guarded.

Jack and his lot also disappeared, using the many rocks and rotted stumps as something to hide behind.

From his spot, Jack could see Kate milling about the jail spot, wringing her hands out and looking around. He couldn't help but notice his heart rate went up a couple notches and his breaths were short and shallow.

Already, he could see Sayid bringing up a couple people, and she smiled graciously at him, glad to have someone to talk to.

(Space)

Charlie ducked around a tree branch, motioning for Claire to follow, and tentatively lifted the string up. A voice came from behind the trees.

"I wouldn't be so keen on doing that, man." As soon as the words left his mouth, Michael showed himself. "You know, don't want to get caught."

"Claire, go back!" Charlie nearly shouted, and dropped the line behind himself.

Michael made a lunge at the man, but Charlie dodged it smoothly.

"Dear God, is that your best move?" He grinned as Michael made another movement towards him.

The man just growled in response, and moved closer.

All the sudden, Charlie took off, laughing like a hyena. "I can see now that high-school track really did help in the long run!"

Michael shot after him, "Hey, get back here!"

"D'you really think I'm gonna listen to a beacher like yourself, mate?" Charlie grinned and looked behind him. That's when he tripped over the shrub and went down.

"Fuck!" You could hear his voice for a couple yards on down the line, and many people lifted their heads to see what all the commotion was about.

Michael caught up, breathing hard, and a maniacal look came across his face, "Look who's talking now." He chuckled.

"Go bloody fuck a tree." Charlie grumbled as the opposing man took his arm and jerked him up.

"Off to Kate for you," He said in a singsong voice. This would be one moment he'd never let Charlie live down.

(Space)

Hurley lumbered through the trees, so far no one had caught him, and he was determined to keep it that way.

Looking around, he cautiously made his way towards what he thought was the prison. Apparently, he was wrong.

"Well, lookie here," A southern accent drawled, "Howdy there!"

Hurley cursed himself silently, and started to run. But he was no match for Sawyer, who soon was running beside him.

"Hidin' something there, fatty?" He cackled, " 'Cause I sure as hell wouldn't put it past ya to bring food in to this here game." His hands flew up and latched onto Hurley's arm. "Come on, let's take ya on back."

(Space)

She sighed as she looked around the small clearing; the jail was filling up quickly. If someone didn't try to break them all out, they'd soon have a problem on their hands soon.

"OY! Kate!" Charlie shrugged off Michael's grip, "You still here?" He grinned.

"Shut up and stay here." Kate grumbled.

Charlie did as he was told, but only because he didn't want to cause more trouble. Which he did anyway.

"Catch sight of Jack yet?" The British man tried to start up a conversation.

Kate only glared, hoping her answer portrayed in her eyes.

"Ah. …Well, here's your chance." And he moved as Jack slid into the safe spot, dirt covered his face and clothes.

"HA!" He crowed at his pursuer who was hot on his heels up until now. "Can't get me now!" And did a little jig before grabbing Charlie and Steve.

Kate cracked up, "Nice victory dance, Shepard."

Jack gave her a half-smile, only he reserved only for her, "You know, I was thinking you'd might like it." He answered, "And as much as I want to give an encore, I must be off. Come on, you two. FREE RETURN!" He called out.

Charlie and Steve echoed, "Yeah, so bugger off!" to no one in particular.

"I'll be back for the rest of you." And Kate swore up and down that Jack winked at her.

The trio ducked under the line, dispersing as soon as they were free.

Kate's jaw dropped, along with everyone else's at the prison, "Was that really Jack?" She questioned the thin air, almost half expecting it to answer back. But that thought soon left her mind as Sawyer carted in Hurley.

(Space)

Boone silently stole across the line, rolling along the ground. He remembered playing this game as a child, with the neighborhood as an arena. He couldn't help but smile, as he thought of those long summer days, so carefree and short.

Shaking his head, he bolted behind a tree, catching his breath. Little did he know on the other side of that tree lurked his stepsister, waiting to make her move on the next poor soul she spotted.

Again he was off, the twigs and leaves crackling under his feet.

"HEY!" He could hear Shannon call out to him, "COME BACK HERE!"

"Like I'm really gonna do that, Shan!" He called back, crouching lower to the ground. Hopefully the distraction wouldn't cause too much noise.

Nodding, he gave short whistle, and Locke appeared by his side a while later.

"Did she see you?" He asked, once again pausing.

"No, but something tell me she caught a pretty good glimpse of you. Thanks." The old man smiled, "Now, let's go find that flag!"

(Space)

Jack sighed as a familiar man dragged him into the jail.

"Catch of the day, Freckles." He chuckled, throwing the doctor down to the ground.

"Sawyer!" Kate scolded, "Be gentle!" She crouched by Jack, "You okay?"

"I'm fine." Jack huffed as Sawyer bolted off again, giving some excuse as why. "I didn't see him." Jack lied, but Kate could see the truth in his eyes.

"Guess I won't see that dance again after all, huh?" She asked, mock pouting.

"Oh, believe me, you will." Jack laughed slightly, "Charlie owes me big anyway, so he's bound to come by sooner or later." He wiped away a bead of sweat, and sat beneath the tree.

"Dude… You look tired…" Hurley stated, examining Jack up and down. It was true, the doctor had dirt all over himself, and his smile looked worn, almost plastered on, but it still couldn't keep down the determined sparkle in his eyes, one that none of the survivors had ever had the pleasure of seeing before.

"I'm fine," Jack repeated, "Besides, look who's talking." He managed a grin, and Hurley returned it.

"Good, doc. We can't afford to lose you."

Jack laughed tiredly, "Oh, something tells me you could." And he smiled at Kate once more.

(Space)

Charlie looked around the place that him and Claire had designated as a meeting place.

"Claire," He whispered, "Are you here, love?"

But nothing came back in return, and the woman was nowhere in sight.

"Let's not play games, Love." Charlie whipped around as he heard the leaves rustle. "Only the wind, Charlie, only the wind…" He said to himself, "Nothing to go nutty over."

And that's when he felt a hand crawl over his shoulder. Giving a loud, piercing scream, he came around to meet eyes only with Claire, whose face was as white as a sheet.

"I was just taking a pee, Charlie." She mumbled, "Sorry."

Charlie blushed immensely. Not only had he lost it, but also he had managed to do it in front of Claire.

"It's nothing," he groaned, "Nothing at all."

-LOST-

* * *

_A/N: So, how was this chapter? R&R! Also, remember to answer my question! **Do you want Claire to be pregnant or not?** A simple yes or no will do. :)_

_This chapter was about the Cave Team, so next chapter is about the Beach Team._

**_Next Chapter:_** As the story starts to focus in to the Beach Team, a surprising stunt is pulled off by Sawyer. Jack finds Kate up in a tree, and tells her he has something to give her, which is indeed true. Walt gets a lesson from Hurley about something he said. So tune in!


	3. Let's Not And Say We Did

_A/N: Sorry about the long time for updating, I had a really long weekend that was really busy. But I got a cool shirt, a Gaelic Storm one, and a couple Irish music CD's from the Celtic festival that I went to Saturday night. The good thing is, I got another idea for a Jate story, once this is done._

**_The results are in, and Claire is officially NOT pregnant. Rose is watching little Aaron on the beach._**

**Lady Pyrefly:** Gotta love the penname! I'm guessing you're a pyromaniac or something. ;) I know, I'm a complete Jater, so it's all cool. Sorry about the Claire thing, but most people didn't want her pregnant.  
Claire: Stupid, stupid people…

**PinkPinker:** Sorry about the Claire thing, but most people wanted her to already have Aaron. :( I know, it'd be SO funny if she won it pregnant, but people are party poopers…  
Jack: Yeah! Damn them!  
Shut up, Jack.  
Jack: You mom needs to shut up.  
Oh! Your spork needs to shut up!  
Jack: Your uncle!  
You SO did not just go there.

**Alexandra Bruderlin aka Girl Who Writes:** I don't think Aaron's going to be too much involved in this story… It'd be too hard to incorporate. :(  
Aaron: Nun-uh!  
Yeah, sorry kiddo.

**Whirlwind-2005: **I know! Poor Hurley… But it'll all be cool in this chapter! Yeah, Aaron's alive, but not in this story too much. Maybe at the end. I dunno what Sawyer's doing (Well, I do, but still). But I think you'll find out in this chapter… :)  
Sawyer: …I gots somethin' up my sleeve. _((grins mischievously))_

**October Sky:** I know! Jack had to have some guilty pleasure, so I made dancing his. It's bad, mind you, but still… I think Kate thinks it's sexy.  
Kate: Damn straight!  
I think we shall see some revenge, maybe even in THIS chapter! _((shifty eyes))_ Claire's not gonna be pregnant, and poor Aaron is going to be down at the beach with Rose, because Rose just doesn't want to play.  
Rose: Yeah, I have arthritis really bad in my left leg…  
See?

**Disclaimer:** Don't own Lost. Think we all know that already. :)

* * *

**Capture The Flag**  
_Summary:_ Who knew that such a simple game could bring out the deepest competitive sides in the survivors?  
Status: WiP

* * *

_Capture The Flag – Chapter 3 – _Let's Not And Say We Did

Sawyer grinned as he bolted away from the jail, for he had just put one of the best players on the other team in it. He laughed as he remembered the look on Jack's face when it dawned on him that he was caught. And by Sawyer, nonetheless. That really just seemed to anger him. But instantly everything – every molecule of Jack's madness – disappeared when he caught sight of Kate. The con man shook his head in disgust and claimed he had heard a noise in the bushes as his excuse to leave.

But nothing could stop him from smiling now, as Sawyer had found a way to win. A way to push Jack's face in the dirt and laugh. He pulled out the duplicate black handkerchief and tightened his grip on it. The only problem was to make sure he got everyone to believe it was the real one. Pocketing it back, he decided that this little setback would wait till later. There was always time for cheating, but Sawyer wanted to see the opportune time.

(Space)

The 7-year-old boy looked around the caves soundlessly, hoping no one would come to check up on things. Poking by, peering in each one, he saw no flag. Walt turned to go back, but instead came face to face with Hurley.

"Ahhhh!" He screamed, "Man, I thought you were in jail!"

The overweight man grinned, "I was. But Charlie came and got me out. Got Jack out too, but had a time by trying so. Doc claimed he had "other things" to attend to. Maybe Kate?"

Walt was stunned for a moment, "You mean… they finally hooked up?" So many people had waited to hear this.

"Dude, no way!" Hurley laughed, "He wanted to get Sawyer back. I think someone relieved Kate of her position too… She's probably in the trees by now."

"Damn," Walt cursed, "Why don't they just admit that they like each other?"

"Dude, don't swear. Your dad would go bonkers on me." Hurley looked terrified, "And they don't admit it, because if they did, then it'd probably be harder for them to let go of each other when we get rescued."

And it finally got to Walt that it was more then just him who hadn't lost hope for a better life, for the previous one they all knew. "I'll give you back your twenty-thousand dollars if you let me go." Walt changed the subject.

"Sorry dude, rules are rules. You win it, you keep it." Hurley smiled slightly.

"…Are you letting me off the hook, then?" the little boy questioned.

"Not a chance." Hurley laughed.

"Damn!" Walt swore again.

"Walt!" Hurley scolded.

"Sorry!"

Hurley just smiled and grabbed the child's arm, "Off to prison for you, kiddo." And dragged him off.

(Space)

Crawling under the line, Sayid rushed past a tree, trying to catch his breath.

A familiar warm hand made a place on his shoulder, and Sayid shivered before turning around.

"Hello, Shannon." He smiled at her.

"Tag, you're it." She said seductively, and led him away, past the boundary.

Sayid was pretty sure this was probably the end of the game for them.

(Space)

Kate stared down at the ground, her eyes mixing the greens and browns together, so it looked a lot like a mess in the blender then anything else.

"You know, you aren't going to get anywhere that way." A voice came from below, "So how about you just come on down so I can tag you, say a couple mean comments about the beach, and cart you off to the big house."

Kate laughed, "Jack, you'll never catch me."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that." He called back up, grinning half-heartedly. "Besides, I've got something for you."

"Oh really? Tell me what it is." She answered, thinking this would all be some joke.

"But it'd ruin the surprise." He said, "Please?"

"Can't it wait for later?" Kate sighed, and loosened her grip on the branch she was clinging on to.

"But you won't think it's nice later." He countered.

"Anything from you at anytime is nice, Jack." Kate laughed.

"Fine. I'll see you later, then?" Jack gave up in defeat. Anytime Kate didn't want to do anything, she sure let you know pretty damn quickly.

"Yeah, you can count on it." She smiled that glamorous smile of hers.

Jack sighed and started to walk away, his shoulder slightly sagging.

Kate watched his every move, and somehow knew he was hurting inside.

"Jack… Wait…" She swung from branch to branch, the ground nearing with every movement she made.

The man turned around, a hopeful smile graced his features.

"You were right. It'd probably not be so cool tonight." She looked amused, "So, what is it?"

Jack laughed, a real laugh, "Stand still, and close your eyes. Hold out your hands too."

Kate thought he looked so sure of himself, as she did what she was told. She had finally let Jack have the wheel for once.

She could feel his strong hands slide into hers, grasping them gently, and soon Kate forgot about that as she felt his lips on hers. Almost in a desperate way, his tongue explored her mouth as she opened hers more widely, deepening the kiss. She had forgot everything that had ever happened between them. It didn't matter now.

Soon the kiss stopped, and Jack put his index finger on her smooth lips, almost as if he knew what she was going to say.

"Don't open your eyes just yet," his voice was husky, and she could feel his breath against the nape of her neck.

"When I count to 5, you can open them. 1… 2… 3…" The voice was growing more faraway, more distant. By the time he was supposed to reach 5, Jack was already gone.

Opening her eyes, Kate found the clearing abandoned, all except a small parcel on the ground. Not taking her eyes off it, she stooped down low and picked it up as if it was the most precious thing in the world to her. And at that moment in time, oddly enough, it was.

Untying the small string, the fabric fanned out, and Kate saw a note written in Jack's familiar writing.

_Kate- I thought these might go well with your garden. Best of luck to you and your green thumb. Love Always – Jack._

And as Kate moved to pocket the small note, she gasped in delight at what she saw hidden under it.

Sure enough, there was every type of seed Kate could ever imagine on the Island. Yet there was one that stood out. As Kate picked it up, she examined it lightly. Little did she know that it was a daisy seed, one of her most favorite flowers of all time. Dropping it back into the pile, she noticed something. There was only one of everything. She smiled at the eccentric gift, and deposited it quickly into her save haven of things.

She would have to move quickly if she wasn't going to get caught.

(Space)

"HOO DOWDY! LOOKIE WHAT I FOUND!" Sawyer yelled out, running. In his hands, he had the duplicate flag. Now all he had to do was get across the line, and the people would have to declare the Beachers the winners. Ducking under branches, jumping over thickets, dodging tree stumps, and laughing at the horrified looks of people on the other side, he was genuinely amused…

…Before a hand came out and slapped him on the chest. "Not so fast there, mate." Charlie grinned, grabbing the pretend flag out of the southern man's hands, "I'll be taking this, thanks."

Almost as if out of thin air, Jack appeared, "I'll go hide it again, you take him away."

Sawyer couldn't protest, he couldn't say anything. He had been so sure that this was the break for home, but he had been wrong. Jack would soon find out what happened, and let's just say Sawyer wanted to be far away when he did.

Prided faces grew as the cave crowd abandoned their posts to watch the beach man, who had _almost_ taken the game, get booted off to jail.

That was a bad decision on their part.

-LOST-

* * *

_A/N: So… How'd you guys like this one? I know, lots of Jate, but next chapter is LOTS of Charlie/Claire and Shannon/Sayid. Promise.  
_Jack: Yeah, scouts honor.  
…You were never in boy scouts.  
Jack: Yeah-huh! You don't know me! Don't tell me what I can't do!  
Locke: Hey! That's my line!  
Guys, guys... calm down... _((gives them a cookie))_


	4. Paging A Mr Sawyer

_A/N: Wow, I am SO sorry for not updating any of my stories, except Goodbyes Never Last, but I've had a really hard last past two weeks. My best friends and I aren't friends anymore; let alone speaking to each other. Everything is sliding into place, and it's finally hitting me that I'm actually going into high school. I mean, for so long, you want to reach that age, and then you do, and you wonder where the hell the rest of the your life went. And now you know that you have millions of other kids wanting to be exactly like you are, just heading into high school. And let me tell you, it's sort of scary. You have your whole life open out in front of you, and there are so many paths you can take that it's unimaginable. And you have to think ahead, asking yourself if you're still going to be interested in writing 10 years from now. And you just don't know. So you wing it, or head out on a branch that is just about to break. But I have good news. I'm finally back. And I'm opening up a whole new side of my writing. So, now instead of just writing for Gilmore Girls and Lost, I'm proud to say that soon, there will be a story out from me about The Matrix. ((Squee!)) I went out, got all three movies, and proceeded to watch all of them, watching the first one twice. And as much crap as they get from people who hate them, I must say that it is an amazing trilogy._

**

* * *

Capture The Flag  
**_Summary:_ Who knew that such a simple game could bring out the deepest competitive sides in the survivors?  
Status: One Last Chapter To Go (After This One)

* * *

_Capture the Flag – Chapter 4 –_ Paging A Mr. Sawyer

Charlie looked around the clearing, breathing hard.

"Claire!" He hissed, "Stop ducking around, and come on!"

But there was no reply.

"Claire?" The rock star whispered again, not realizing the trap he fell into. "Claire, come on!"

"Charlie! Don't take another step!" Her voice came from the side, terrified. "Stop where you are!"

"Why?" He asked, disregarding the warning, and walking towards the place where the noise had originated. Suddenly he flew up in the air, a rope his only lifeline for hitting the ground headfirst.

"…That's why." Claire sighed, "I _told_ you not to do that! But you just go off and do it" An irritated tone entered.

"Well, you just going to sit there, or are you going to help me get down?" Charlie asked, hoping it was the latter. He didn't really prefer hanging upside down for too much longer.

"…I should just leave you there." She spat at him, getting angry, "Because you're blaming me for something I certainly didn't cause."

"Just get me the fuck down!" Charlie screamed, getting scared. Blood was rushing to his head at what felt like an unusually quick pace, and he knew his face was getting red.

"… Get yourself down. I'm sick of always getting yelled at!" Claire shot back, and headed back into the bushes.

"Claire! Dammit! Please come back? Come on, you know I didn't mean it like that…" Charlie pleaded; a pang of guilt flew through his heart.

But she didn't come back out.

And that's when the rope broke. A distant thud could be heard for feet around the spot, along with an ear-splitting scream of pain.

(Space)

Sayid could hear the deep breathing of Shannon next to him, her body slightly moving around, rustling the leaves.

"Oh my God!" A male voice came out, "I so did not want to see this!"

Shannon gave out a scream, and tried to cover herself as best she could.

Hurley tried to shield his eyes as much as possible, but it felt like the image was burnt into his mind, never to leave him alone. Lumbering from the spot, he tripped over a root and proceeded to fall down face flat in the mud. But he got up quickly, and ran through the trees.

"…Poor man," Sayid gave a chuckle, "I suppose we should have headed to a more, say… "secluded" place then this."

Shannon just groaned and got up, trying to find her pants, which she had hastily discarded at the beginning.

"…I'm sorry." Sayid added, trying to make her feel better.

But the blonde woman just stared at him in disbelief, "What do _you_ have to be sorry for? You weren't the cause of him seeing us together, or, hell, even responsible for crashing the plane… right?"

Sayid winced at the insecurity that shone in Shannon's eyes. He wanted so much to take her in his arms and tell her that it'd all be okay for them, but he knew that that was just a lie to try to cover up the more seemingly bigger truth. "No, Shannon, I am not responsible for any of those things." He spoke, his accent thickening, trying to cover up the hurt in his voice.

"Then you have nothing to be sorry for." She mumbled, finally finding the khakis in a small shrub just outside the clearing.

"Nothing to be sorry for in this moment, no. But that still doesn't make me sorry for everything that's happened to you," He also found his shirt, and grabbed it up, the sleeves gliding over his muscles.

"Sayid. Stop. I don't want to hear anything else about him." Shannon glared at the man that she claimed she loved. But bother her and him knew it was just a rebound thing, covering up the real hurt she had experienced when Boone had passed into the next life.

Sayid merely nodded, and they both went about finding their clothes, just glad that this moment hadn't escalated into what seemed like an inevitable fight. "I'll see you at dinner, right? When this so-called game is all over?" He gave her a warm smile.

Shannon glanced at him, and gave him a small smile, "Of course I will."

And with that all said and done, the two left the clearing.

(Space)

Sawyer glanced around the jail camp furtively, and if looks could kill, all the rest of the beach people there would be dead. He knew that Jack soon would be careening through the forest, screaming the awful truth that Sawyer had lied. Just like everything else, he wanted to be number one. And then the doctor would halt right in front of the con man, stare down at him with those big innocent eyes, and proceed to tell him off in everyway possible. And then he'd finish with something about Kate, and "now he knew how it felt to be the odd one out." But Sawyer just come back with the reply that he knew what the feeling felt like, because he had been in that position for so long that it had become a habit with him. A game.

Sawyer swore he could hear the approaching footsteps now, and wasted no time to tell the doctor who had appeared that he had been expecting him.

"So, got something you wanna share with the class, then, doc?" He gave Jack a smirk.

"Why'd you do it?" Jack stared at him from halfway across the clearing, "Why do you always have to do it?"

"Do what?" Sawyer jerked his chain a bit more, but knew what the goodie-good was talking about.

"Out of everything I expected you to do, this was at the top of my list. Turning a simple child's game into something else." Jack shook his head, his eyes full of what seemed like sympathy for the man.

"Exactly. Why the hell are we playin' a game made for them kids?" Sawyer grinned, "Why are we actin' like them when we're so much more smarter then that? You wanna have fun, go fuck someone, not play some stupid game!" His voice rose with every word he spoke, and by the end of the sentence, all the attention was on him.

Jack shook his head again, clearly sick of it. "You know what I'm going to say, Sawyer, so I'm not going to waste any breath on you. You ruined it, and we all know it. So now you deal with the damn consequences. Welcome to my world." He threw the flag onto the ground, and walked away, leaving Sawyer aghast and stunned to the point where he could manage to get just a couple words out.

That's when he noticed everyone still staring at him. "What the hell chu people lookin' at?" He grumbled, and turned away, leaving them to sort out everything that had just happened.

(Space)

Charlie ran past the group of people, his shirt on top of his head, nursing the blood-oozing wound. Some took second glances, while others let a giggle escape that soon turned into a full-fledged laugh. But Charlie didn't care. He just wanted to find Claire.

His shoes flapped against the soft dirt, his voice penetrating the thick, humid air. "Claire! Come back, Claire!" He called.

Some survivors tried to follow him, but as soon as they got up close, the brit just waved them away, sometimes with a "Get the blood hell away from me, you git!" and others with a "What are you looking at, you loon?" But whatever the response was, they eventually tore away from him at one point or another.

Taking a left turn, he soon found himself at the caves, silently thanking the Lord at what he heard. "Claire!" He headed over, and sat by her, "Claire, I'm so sorry… I didn't mean anything."

But she kept her head turned the other way.

"Claire?" He breathed in, "… You aren't still mad… are you?" He questioned.

"Charlie, I think it's time." Her words were filled to the brim with terror and fear. She nodded with her decision, as if she was reassuring herself of the same thing.

"Time? Time for what?" Charlie was confused; he knew they had talked about taking their relationship to the next level, but he hadn't wanted it to happen this quickly, and he was certain she hadn't either.

"Time for us to… to break up." She bit her lip, concentrating on the small rock tucked beneath dirt. Taking a deep breath, she turned to face him, to see what his expression was.

His face showed shock, and surprise, but more then anything else, it showed hurt. "…I-I thought we had something here, Claire…" It was taking much more will power then he had to try to calm himself down, "I honestly did. Guess I was severely mistaken."

"Oh Charlie…" She let one tear escape from her eye, "I just don't see things working out for us in the future."

"Future? Who cares about the bloody fucking future! For all I know, we could be stuck here till the end of time, and just be fine!" Charlie screamed out, "Just be perfectly find together."

"Charlie, you know that there's a chance of them finding us some day. I know you do. And things would just be so much more easier to go back to if they were the same." Claire tried to make him see the optimistic part.

"Love wasn't supposed to be easy!" He declared, "I don't want things to be the same when we go back! I want you to be included in my life, Aaron too. Claire, don't do this to me…"

"Whoever said this was about you?" Claire asked.

But a scream of delight blocked him from answering. A flag had been found.

LOST

_A/N: Updated ASAP. Please leave reviews. I'll try to have this up by tonight, but my internet just went down, like always._


	5. And The Winner Is

_A/N: Sorry for the long time, no update. High School started, and it's just been walls and walls of homework. Seriously, second day of school, the honors english teacher gave us an 3 page assignment due the next day. Yeah, not fun. But, all is well, and hopefully I'll fall into the groove of things sooner then later. So, please, please, don't be mad at me if I don't show up for a couple weeks. I'm here, but I'm too busy, unfortunetely. :(_

_A/N2: If you got the Lost DVDs, go to the deleted scenes, and find the one called 'Secrets'. I swear, it's an AWESOME JackKate scene._

_A/N3: Cohen101 hads brought it to my attention that Boone magically has appeared dead in the last chapter. Well, my mistake, and Boone **IS NOT DEAD**, but him and Shannon got in fight instead, hence the stuff being tense about her and Sayid. Sorry for the mix-up, people._

**Disclaimer**: Don't own Lost. Though the pilot for the Second Season was SO KICKASS!

* * *

Capture The Flag  
_Summary:_ Who knew that such a simple game could bring out the deepest competitive sides in the survivors?  
Status: LAST CHAPTER (Finally!)

* * *

_Capture The Flag - Chapter 5_ - And The Winner Is...

Jack raised his head at the scream, his eyes wide open. Someone had found it... The game was over. Well, maybe not. If Sawyer pulled off a fake flag stunt, then surely anyone else could. The sun was setting on the mid-summer night, the sky a mass block of pinks and blues, oranges and reds, and the round ball of light was already halfway below the horizon. Wiping away a bead of sweat, Jack took off towards the spot where he had hidden the flag. He had been so sure that the cave people would have won, and now all he got for his troubles were a couple snide remarks, and maybe some sneers if the Beach people were feeling particulary cocky.

Kate's feet played tag with the tide lines as water rushed in and out, receding back into the depths of the ocean. In her hand was the hankerchief, clutched tightly. Her shout hadn't been of triumph, but one of surprise. It had just slipped out, like so many other things had. So, she figured, why not let the people wait to see who it was. She knew that at this very moment, a crowd of people had conversed at the boundary line, wanting to see who's team won. She smiled secretly to herself, she would finally get the chance she had always wanted to make things right again with the audience of her life. But it wouldn't be because she caught tonight's dinner, or found a new water source, it'd be just for winning a stupid, yet ironic, child's game.

(Space)

Charlie looked through the trees, dodging the occasional survivor that flew past wildly, screaming something about a deranged psychopath on the loose. "Look who's talking, wise-ass," Charlie grumbled as he came back out from under the tree. Damn, people sure did get their knickers in a twist when they didn't find out the answer right away.

"Claire? Love, where are-- Claire!" Charlie came across the woman, crying silently into her hands. Her face was dirty where she had wiped away the tears, but those baby blues of hers were so entrancing...

"Claire..." Charlie was wordless, so he looked away, concentrating on an unsignificant rock, when he really should be staring at the actual human.

"What do you want?" She tried to sound harsh, but it came out more desperate sounding then anything.

"I want... I want us," Charlie said quietly, blushing slightly. "For it to be all okay again... I didn't mean to get you all mad over something... Bloody hell, I don't even know what I said!" He seriously had been stumped at why Claire had led him off like that.

"Charlie..." Claire breathed, but instead of the slap that Charlie thought was inevitable to come, a gentle kiss moved across his lips.

At first, a wave of shock erupted through him, but then that slowly proceeded to turn into desperation also. Deepening the kiss, he wrapped his arms around her, and her hands cradled his head, smoothing back the uneven ends or hair that had grown over time on the Island.

(Space)

Sayid's head jerked up again as the leaves rustled, and he chuckled as he saw Sawyer shake off an ever-clinging strip of ivy.

"Damn plant," Sawyer grubled, and tore away from the growth only to find Sayid trying to hold back laughter. "Whatchu waitn' for? Ladies first," He shot back at the reply, and waved his hand towards the path.

This only caused Sayid to let out a mere chuckle and shake his head, as if he were mocking the Southerner. "Nothing," And he walked away to the line, just like everyone else had, leaving Sawyer up to his own antics.

(Space)

Hurley and Walt glared at each other across the line, when Hurley realized something.

"Hey... I thought I put you in jail, dude." Hurley stated, confused.

"...Yeah," Walt grinned, "Your point?"

"Dude, you can't just walk out of jail! Who was jail guard?" Hurley groaned. Chances were everyone was out now.

"No one," Walt shrugged, "You know, you should really check up on the prison once in a while... Steve left a while back."

"Steve! Damnit!" Hurley cursed, "That dude has got it coming..."

"Man, I thought you said not to curse..." Walt joked, grinning.

"For you, yes. For me, no." Hurley shot back, still obviously angry.

"...It's only a game, Hurley..." Walt tried to reason with him.

"...Yeah... Just a game." Hurley took a deep breath, "So, later, you up for a game of Backgammon? I'm onto you this time..." He smiled back, trying not to let the 10-year-old on to him.

(Space)

Jack reconized the silhouette before he even made it out onto the beach, her profile was outlined against the crashing waves, and her skin shimmered as the light bounced off it. He had helf a mind to leave her to her antics, knowing that everyone always needed a little alone time. Besides, the people could wait to find out who found it for a little longer. It wasn't like they were going to commit sucide if they didn't find out which team found the flag in the next five mintues.

But something called him to her, and he strolled across the sand, trying to be as quiet as possible. One minute, he was ten feet away from her, and the next he was inches. His breath caught in his throat as his nostils took in the sweet aroma of her. He didn't want to surprise Kate, so he went around, and ended up next to her.

"Hey." He mumbled, looking out over the ocean as she did.

Not breaking her glance, she gave back a feeble hello also.

"So... See you found the flag," Jack tried to make conversation with Kate, but she just wasn't responding.

Kate just nodded, and unwrapped the flag from her hand, "You should take it..."

Jack was stunned, "But why?"

Kate bit her lip, and looked down, "Because they like you better then they would ever like me. They'll probably think that I stole it from the real person anyway," Her voice faded off, and silence once again met the two.

"Kate, I can't take it," Jack said after a while, "You're the one who found it."

"So? Besides, it'll put Sawyer in his place, and save you from a 'new nickname'." She quoted him from some time back, "Just take it, will you?"

Jack shook his head, "No. Kate, you've got to stand up to them."

"I'll give it to someone else," Kate's voice wavered, taking on a threatning tone, "Maybe Sawyer would enjoy it,"

Jack laughed, "Sawyer will just say the same things I am now," he smiled, "Sorry, you're stuck with it."

Kate sighed, and wrapped it back around her hand, the soft fabric flailing about in the wind. Jack stared at her just standing there. And suddenly it all came rushing back to him, everything. Kate had woken from her long slumber, her long run, to make her first and final stand. She raised her arm, her hand clutching the hankerchief, and started to launch it into the sea. Just as she was about to let it go, another hand grapsed onto her arm, and halted it.

"Don't," Was all Jack said, "Just don't." He had shifted so close to Kate that he could feel his breath repealing off her neck.

She merely nodded, and dropped it slowly, her grip on the flag loosening. A sudden wind picked up, and the leaves on the trees rustled gently as mountains of mist poured across the shore. The sky clouded over, the sun disappearing from view, and low thunder could be heard in the distance. The waves in the sea reached new heights, cascading unrelentingly over the couple's feet. Shouts could still be heard from the survivors, but half the time they were silenced by the winds.

"Come on, Kate," Jack said uneasily, "Let's head back... This storm isn't going to have a good outcome." They sky had already turned a nasty hue of grey, and darkening every second that passed.

Raindrops began to pour onto their heads, soaking everything in sight within minutes. Kate stood there, her feet dug deeply into the sand, just watching the waves crash upon the shore.

Jack made his way to the edge of the forest, only to realize Kate was still out there. "Kate!" He called, "Come on!"

The fugitive's shoulders limped, and she turned her head to look at him, clumps of hair sticking to her head. But her green eyes were as vibrant as ever, and Jack could see that little shine of amusement flickering in them, and for one fleeting moment, he wished he could be out there, with her.

But the feeling had dissapeared just as fast as it had shown itself, and she silently made her way to him.

"I won." Was all Kate said as she passed him, grinning.

------------------

_A/N: FINALLY! This story is done! I loved writing every minute of it, and I'm sad to see it's ended. I'll finish my other stories soon, and needless to say, I always have plans for a new one. Next one updated will hopefully be "Guilty Pleasures", and then I'll tackle the bigger ones. :) Thanks for all your reviews!_


End file.
